[Advaita-l] Golden Words of His Holiness Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji - 3

[S Jayanarayanan]

 http://www.svbf.org/journal/vol1no2/golden.pdf
 
 
Value of Scriptures
 
 The Lord Himself has given us His commands in the eternal
Vedas. We should not disobey our Scriptures. They are His
breath and the fountain-head of all right knowledge.
 
 It is our duty to learn the scriptures and follow the commands
of our sastras implicitly. Ignorance by itself is certainly no
sin but it is a sin when there is a duty to learn. There is no
doubt that the man who knows and yet errs is a greater
sinner; but there is no satisfaction, much less an excuse for
the man who prefers to continue in ignorance and in error.
 
 Scientists have discovered that matter is nothing but a
manifestation of cosmic energy. So there exists a single
cosmic energy or force which is infinite in capacity and takes
on the form of matter under certain conditions. Our holy
scriptures also make the same assertion.
 
 
Experience of Advaita
 
While all religious systems postulate the existence of
"one" God who is the supreme being, some grant
independent existence of matter (i.e., universe) and
some grant independent existence of individual souls.
 
It is only in the Advaita system that the matter (i.e.,
universe) is denied existence independent of God, and
the individual soul also is denied existence
independent of God. It is only in the Advaita system
that there is no second principle independent of God.
 
It is impossible to teach Advaita, for Advaita is beyond
the grasp of the mind and the senses. Advaita cannot
be learnt. It has to be experienced.
 
 
Nature of Happiness
 
The number of things in the world that awaken desire
is infinite. If a man gets a particular thing, the mental
unrest caused by the longing for that thing may cease;
but it will be replaced by restlessness caused by desire
for another object. This process will go on forever as
there is no end to desire.
 
Similarly, the number of things that are undesirable is
also infinite. If you get rid of a particular undesirable
object, no doubt you get mental peace for the moment;
but the next moment you will become restless because
another thing will start troubling you. This process will
go on indefinitely as the things which gave us trouble
in the world are countless.
 
If, therefore, we seek to remove our mental unrest by
trying to secure the things which the mind asks for or
to get rid of all the things which disturb it, our search
for peace will be an endless one and true everlasting
peace and happiness will never be attained by us.
 
 
Fate and Free Will
 
You are responsible for what you are today. You are
responsible for your pain and suffering and misery.
You cannot escape your responsibility by blaming fate,
for fate is of your own making, or by blaming God, for
he is but divine dispenser of fruits in accordance with
the merits of your actions. You have none to blame but
yourself for your present state of affairs.
 
Fate is nothing but the sum total of the results of your
past actions.
 
By exercising your free will in the past you brought on
the resultant fate (i.e., present).
 
By exercising your free will in the present, wipe out
the past record and work for a better future. Whether
for acquiring more happiness or for reducing misery,
you have to exercise your free will in the present.
 
 
Faith in Guru
 
  Just as we need a doctor to cure us of our illness, a guru is
necessary to know what the sastras prescribe and to teach us the
particular course of action suited to our qualification.
 
  Surrender yourself entirely to a guru. He will take you by the
hand and lead you to the goal. He is not blinded by the enveloping
darkness of ignorance and is sure to guide you properly. But you
must have true faith in him.
 
  If you wish for a guru in all earnestness, he will be before you in
no time. But if you require his presence only to enable you to test
his competence of a guru, he will be father off than before.
 
  Have implicit faith in the words of your guru and earnestly
follow his instructions for the realization of God and you shall
certainly see God.
 
 
Paths to the Goal
 
  Cold water is beneficial to a thirsty man but positively harmful
to one who has fever. Similarly, what is good for one may not be
good for another. So each person must follow that path for which
he is best suited.
 
  Exert yourself as much as you can, adopt the right course in
every effort of yours. Your will must succeed in the end.
 
  There is nothing which is unattainable. A thing may be
unattainable to us at the particular stage at which we are, or with
the qualification that we possess. However, if we try hard enough
there is nothing we cannot attain. Ultimately we must succeed.